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Collections

The Kenneth Spencer Research Library is home to books, manuscripts, photographs and materials in many subject areas, including the Kansas Collection, Special Collections and the University Archives.

The Kansas Collection is the regional history division of the University of Kansas Libraries. The Collection provides researchers with primary source materials that document the history of Kansas and the region.

Special Collections contains a wide range of rare books and manuscripts. Its primary charge is the collection and preservation of original sources for use by students and scholars of the humanities, of the history of science, and of the history of the book.

University Archives, established in 1969, is the repository for the records documenting the history of the University of Kansas.

Other Digital Projects

The University of Kansas Libraries are a contributing partner to the Digital Scriptorium, a growing image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts from many institutions serving as an international tool for teaching and scholarly research.

The Jesuatti Book of Remedies holds medical remedies used by the friars of the Order of Saint Jerome to cure the sick and care for the body in and before the 16th century. This digital edition permits users to search the full English-language text and view page scans.

Search the Finding Aids

Browse by Creator's Last Name:

KU Libraries provide access to a growing number of finding aids from Spencer Research Library. These inventories reveal the wide variety of materials found in manuscript collections, including photographs, correspondences, printed material, diaries and drawings.

Records for the majority of Spencer Research Library’s holdings can be found in the University’s online catalog. Key word searches in the online catalog can be limited to just the materials in Spencer Research Library:

From the KU Library Catalog, click on the “Set Other Search Limits” button in the bottom right corner of the Simple Search tab

In the Location: box, scroll down to Spencer Research Library (Kansas Coll. and Spencer Coll.) and click the text to highlight it

Click on the Set Limits button located at the top or bottom of the Search Limits box

From the Simple Search screen, choose either “Keyword “or “AND, OR, NOT (Keyword Boolean)” in the Search By: drop down menu. [Note that search limits only work when doing a Keyword or an AND, OR, NOT (Keyword Boolean) search]

Type in your search term or phrase then click on the Search button. Your search results will be limited to materials held in the Spencer Research Library.